The importance of undergraduate business school

March 29 is the day wharton undergrad decides if I will be part of the school. If I do not get in to this or other undergrad b-schools, will it limit my business career and will it limit how far I can go in the business world?

 

This is just common sense...the answer to your question is very obvious to anyone with half a brain.

You'll be disadvantaged, that's for sure. However, there are many successful businessmen who didn't go to top-tier schools.

 
pacman007:
I would strongly consider quitting life if you don't get in..
Nice troll..but the reason I asked this question was that everyone says you have to go an ivy league to get an exceptional network and receive more chances.
The Four E's of investment "The greatest Enemies of the Equity investor are Expenses and Emotions."- Warren Buffet
 

semi target, 4 people going BB IBD from my school this year, b-school class of 150

difficult but not impossible. the majority of the kids don't even try for those kinds of jobs so it's not like 150 applied and only 4 got accepted.

just work hard and network, the world isn't black and white

 

You don't have to be a business major to get into business. Read the forums, read the backgrounds of some CEOs, and engage some common sense.

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

It's important but not that important. If you can go to a target school life is way easier for sure. A student at a target school with a decent GPA has companies lining up to hire them. It's a sweet life, I should have done that.

Though if you are able to almost get into Wharton you are close enough. Schools are mostly useful for their alumni anyway. You won't have companies coming to you at a non-target school but if you put in some effort to network and make a contact at a company you should be able to get your career in gear

 

Going to business schools is definitely an advantage. The advantage in terms of building your network and not so much as how to make a business successful.

www.purechecks.com
 

You're still so young... it's good to have an idea about what you want to do but make sure you keep an open mind at the same time as to other career possibilities. Did you even take the SAT yet? Focus on ECs/grades/not getting caught drinking for now. Do well on the SAT and if your HS offers an intro to investments or economics class (mine didn't), take it and see how you like the material. A year from now you will still be in HS and your interests might change.

That being said, UG choice absolutely is important for having as many opportunities open to you as possible. But like I said before, focus on your work and ECs now in order to have those doors open for you later and take the process a step at a time.

 
Champs46:
You're still so young... it's good to have an idea about what you want to do but make sure you keep an open mind at the same time as to other career possibilities. Did you even take the SAT yet? Focus on ECs/grades/not getting caught drinking for now. Do well on the SAT and if your HS offers an intro to investments or economics class (mine didn't), take it and see how you like the material. A year from now you will still be in HS and your interests might change. That being said, UG choice absolutely is important for having as many opportunities open to you as possible. But like I said before, focus on your work and ECs now in order to have those doors open for you later and take the process a step at a time.

I haven't taken the SAT yet, I will this winter. I currently attend a private school in New England that does offer econ. I have a pretty heavy schedule course wise. I'm taking AP micro now and will take AP micro next year. So far I undoubtedly enjoy it. I'm always open to new ideas however I spend a lot of time on the topic and am very passionate about it.

Thanks, JC

correction :: AP macro next year

 

jeez a junior in HS??? No conventional path. Do your best, get into the best school that fits you. Major in something you like/good at (econ), Start reading WSJ, and read through WSO---> your question has been brought up a lot, use the search function.

Fear is the greatest motivator. Motivation is what it takes to find profit.
 

Going to an Ivy league school and majoring in engineering is a start, but I don't know that the rest of your "track" is really necessary. You can probably get the role you want out of undergrad if you go to the right school and get good grades.

In high school, you should be doing what you can to knock off some credits (AP courses) and taking calc/stats/hard classes to become a candidate for a top school. You should also be making mistakes, partying, and getting laid though. Don't get too sucked in just yet brah, you have some time ahead of you...

"That dude is so haole, he don't even have any breath left."
 
Best Response
xelink:
top 1% HS -> top 15 uni graduating with honors -> IBD or MBB -> PE/HF -> Top MBA -> MOAR FINANCE ->???????? -> greatness
Haha.

Do well in school - when it comes time to start your career, good grades are HUGE.

Finance employers hire English majors and Econ majors, as long as they fit the mold of "is smart, will work hard".

There will literally be dozens, hundreds, or thousands of candidates applying for whatever position you go after, so employers set-up GPA cut-offs. Don't screw yourself by not even being able to apply.

 

What I recommend is that you focus less on your career trajectory and on actually developing your interest subject of finance. You're only in grade 11, you shouldn't be worrying about mapping out your career path because anyways, there is no conventional path to working at a hedge fund. And you're too young to narrow your path in life so early. But if you are genuinely interested in finance, read articles about the industry, look at the different types of hedge fund strategies (also, b/c different hedge funds employ people from different backgrounds), learn and learn. Let your career form out of your interests and not the other way around.

 

Okay, I also realize this question has been answered quite often...

So what's better...going on with a crappy undergrad school or taking this semester off and re-applying for better schools, for the spring semester? Or go this semester and still apply for transfer?

 

Go this semester and still apply to transfer to a better school, but keep in mind some universities may only allow a certain amount of credits to transfer, usually 60. Also the transition from nontarget to IB has been done many times before. Networking is extremely important.

"There's no reason to be the richest man in the cemetery. You can't do business from there." - Colonel Sanders
 

Going to a top undergrad certainly helps, but going to a lesser name school won't automatically shut you out; yes, you'll see more kids from top schools at places like Columbia, but there's also plenty of folks that aren't from target schools - it's about the totality of your candidacy (GPA/GMAT, quality of work experience, quality of extracurricular accomplishments, career focus, etc.).

Alex Chu

Alex Chu www.mbaapply.com
 

If you go to a top non-US university [e.g. Oxbridge/Imperial/LSE], will this be at all advantageous when it comes to US biz school apps or should you stick to Europe where the university name is more recognisable?

Does work experience and post-university activities outweigh undergrad qualifications?

 

Adcoms are pretty knowledgeable about schools outside the US, at least in countries like the UK, France, Germany, Russia, Israel, China, Japan, India, etc, so I wouldn't worry about it.

At top schools, the undergrad profiles of the international students are similar to the US students - a disproportionate number graduated from their respective countries' top universities.

Alex Chu

Alex Chu www.mbaapply.com
 

I went to a third-tier public university in the US. This was after transferring from another school where I was rocking out with a ~2.7 because I couldn't get off the beach and go to class. Now I'm heading to Stern at a pretty young age (24), so yes, you most likely will not be shut out based on your undergrad. Based on what you say above, you're doing well already.

 

Networking is key, as people break in from all kinds of schools. (Note: Transfer ed from a CC to a non-target during undergrad and now a First Year IB Analyst).

Authored by: Certified Corporate Development Professional - Director
 

I see. I really want to go to University of Miami because I want to eventually do business in South and Central America, but I don't want to sacrifice job opportunities because I went to a non target. Thank you for the advice JBanksohn

 

You have two options:

1) Network hard and try to get an internship at a boutique or Raymond James (for junior year SA)

2) Transfer to a better school in that region (think: Emory, Duke, UF, etc) if you want to stay in the south.

I will guess that you are a rising junior, so transferring is probably out of the question. Raymond James is your best bet. RJF is headquartered in St. Pete/Tampa so you should start networking with those individuals. Track down alumni from your university in the investment banking industry and go meet with them.

To answer your question though, UG is important to a certain extent. At the end of the day, going to a top target will not get you the job but it will certainly get you into the door. That is the issue that you face = getting an interview.

What type of firm are you interning at this summer?

 

Sorry, I wasn't so clear. I am a sophomore (as in I just finished my freshman year), and I'm taking 6 credits of summer courses right now. After summer, I'll have a 2-4 week internship. I'm not interning at a firm though, I'm interning in Belgium for the government over there (I am an international student). The reason for that is because I am still unsure of whether I want to go into business or law, and basically was just looking for some work experience and something to do during the summer.

Since I am still a sophomore, I am still trying to discover my options and see what career path is best. I know that I will probably be able to go to a Top 14 law school since all they care about is GPA and LSAT, but I don't know if I will be able to get a good job in business that will land me into a top MBA program later on. Whether I go into business or law, I still intend to go to grad school for a JD or MBA, and I know that in order to get into a top MBA program, I need good work experience. So I was basically wondering if I could get a job good enough to secure me with a top MBA program (top 20 or better).

I can transfer, but I don't really like that option very much and have already contemplated that option many times. The reasons I don't like it other than the obvious ones (inconvenience, have to make new friends, not sure how much harder it might be) are that I have to take some prerequisites in order to transfer and I might not be able to complete my double major if I do transfer. However, I guess I could look into it again and check out their major requirements and see whether I might be interested again. I wish I had studied harder in high school so that I could put myself in a better position, but nobody ever told what was required to get a job that would lead to a the lavish lifestyle I pursue, so i was never very academically motivated until I came to college.

Other than that. I realize I don't know much about business at all, so I'm really sorry for my ignorance. So if anyone has any sites or stickies that could point me to what different jobs in the business market do the requirements to get them, that could be helpful. Also, if anyone knows of any books that cover specific industries in business and what the requirements are, then that would also greatly help.

 

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"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

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"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

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